The Brooklyn Nets are targeting Sacramento Kings assistant coach Jordi Fernandez to be their new head coach, ESPN reported Monday night.
The Nets fired Jacque Vaughn after starting the 2023-24 season 21-33, and they finished 11-17 under interim coach Kevin Ollie.
According to ESPN, Nets general manager Sean Marks conducted numerous interviews with candidates, and Fernandez passed the initial phase to talk directly with team owner Joe Tsai.
Fernandez, a 41-year-old native of Barcelona, Spain, is currently the head coach of the Canadian national team, which he led to a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He also has served as an assistant coach for the Spanish and Nigerian national teams.
His first NBA work experience was serving as a player development coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2009-13. He spent a year as an assistant and two years as head coach of the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate in Canton, Ohio, before working as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets from 2016-22.
Fernandez joined the Kings’ coaching staff in August 2022.
Brooklyn (32-50) finished in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, four games out of the final play-in position. The Nets had made the playoffs in each of the previous five seasons, but they are now looking for their fifth head coach since the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign.